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Eric (RL)
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Eric (RL)
Posted 9 Years Ago
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Group: Administrators
Last Active: 8 Years Ago
Posts: 99,
Visits: 1.0K
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The new CrazyTalk 8 (CT8) pre-order campaign launched today, and we couldn’t be more excited to share with our community what we have been working on for the past year. One of the biggest features for CT8 is the brand new 3D Head Creator that will surely be the talk of the town, especially with the new CT8 pipeline connectivity that will enable users to transfer finished 3D heads from CrazyTalk 8 to iClone and the Character Creator. Vision for a Unified Animation Platform
It has been the ultimate goal for the Reallusion team to integrate all of our product lines into one working system: where various application modules, models, motion files and contents seamlessly share across iClone, CrazyTalk and CrazyTalk Animator, for both Windows and Mac versions alike, without the need for re-purchasing content. We started this with CrazyTalk Animator 2 Pipeline two years ago. The CTA 2 Pipeline had the ability to use iClone motion files at its launch, making this content cross platform and compatible. Our philosophy is that we shouldn’t charge users twice for the same content, plug-ins, and modules, and we should allow users to fully exploit all the tools that they have put their trust and efforts into.
Here is a brief future roadmap plan and what we wish to achieve: CT8 is an important step for this plan! Aside from the decade-long 2.5D talking picture technologies, the design goal for CT8 right from the start was to enter brave new 3D territories. One of the key points that make characters “fun” and “crazy” with CrazyTalk is the ability to create realistic faces with ease, and dressing up these characters in various outfits. In addition, in order to match today’s modern motion tracking devices, CT8 introduces 3D heads to fully achieve its best. With this in mind, we wish for CT8 to become the de facto tool for 3D head creation and precise facial animation. Thus in the CT8 pipeline version, you will be able to transfer your 3D heads to both iClone and the Character Creator. But that’s not all, as we’ll also have more content in the future that will be shared across all applications; iClone, Character Creator and CrazyTalk 8.
The 3D Head Creator is a new module that was written from the ground up with the purpose of being the fastest and most easy-to-use head generator. We spent a considerable amount of effort in making sure that the photo fitting process was way more accurate than before, and we want everybody, no matter which software he/she is proficient with, to be able to create a next-gen 3D head with only a few simple clicks of the mouse.
The Best Package for iClone Users To Get the 3D Head Creator
To get the absolute best deal right now, you can purchase $249 worth of content between Nov. 5th and Dec 6th, and get a FREE CrazyTalk 8 Pipeline version. With this, not only will you have the freedom to choose the content you need, but you will have a brand new photo to 3D head creation system and a more detailed time-line script editing tool without having to pay anything extra. If you wish to simply purchase CT8 through upgrade pricing, then we will have that option ready by the end of the month. (November)
In the end, we wish to create a complete software ecosystem where everything is integrated and shared. Of course this will not happen over night, as there are still lots of challenges along the way, but we are working hard to make sure that our users can get most out of these unified product lines. We will be constantly monitoring this thread and would love to hear more from you.
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Eric (RL)
Forum Moderator
Reallusion, Inc.
https://forum.reallusion.com
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci
Edited
9 Years Ago by
Eric (RL)
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ToKoMotion
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ToKoMotion
Posted 9 Years Ago
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Group: Forum Members
Last Active: 1 hour ago
Posts: 677,
Visits: 30.6K
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Wow!!! Thanks a lot for the great information. This whole ecosystem plan sounds amazing and I believe it will have a groundbreaking effect on the industry! An All-in-one production system will be like a dream come true. Thumbs up to the whole RL R&D team for all past developments and the future tools. You guys rock! 
For now I´m curious to see what the new CT8 will offer and the first WIP video looks awesome. Keep my fingers crossed that Facial Mocap will also be available soon.
Keep up the good work and see you around.
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AniMajik
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AniMajik
Posted 9 Years Ago
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Group: Forum Members
Last Active: 7 days ago
Posts: 74,
Visits: 395
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Is there an upgrade path from CTA2 Pro to CT8? Thaanks in advance.
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toonarama
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toonarama
Posted 9 Years Ago
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Group: Forum Members
Last Active: Last Year
Posts: 670,
Visits: 1.3K
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Eric (RL) (11/6/2015)
Our philosophy is that we shouldn’t charge users twice for the same content, plug-ins, and modules, and we should allow users to fully exploit all the tools that they have put their trust and efforts into. An excellent and admirable philosophy; however if you look at it from an alternative angle you previously had the power to do limited photo fitting in Iclone which was removed at Iclone 6 which means you now need to purchase CT8 Pipeline to get that (albeit vastly improved) functionality back
Edited
9 Years Ago by
toonarama
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wires
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Group: Forum Members
Last Active: 3 days ago
Posts: 5.7K,
Visits: 26.4K
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Well, well - RL really do know how to get rid of long-time customers.  I've been using iClone since version 2, and one of the great features even then was the ability to create custom faces/heads directly inside the App. I had assumed that the absence of this feature in IC 6 was only something temporary to be reintroduced in a future patch update. Now the cold hard truth has been published - either users spend $249.00 on content, or pay $199.00 for the CT8 Pipeline version just to the ability to do something that has always been included as an integral part of iClone!!!!!!!!   
If there was content available for purchase that I could justify spending $249.00 on then I would have already done that. If I had any need for CrazyTalk I would already own and use it - I did purchase a discounted version once somewhere, but couldn't fit it into my workflow.
I am afraid to even contemplate just how much money I have invested in RL products since IC 2, but I don't for one second regret it. I spent money on assets that I found suitable to achieve my goals, and satisfy my limited "creative talents". I have had a lot of enjoyment using both iClone and 3DXchange, but being slapped around the face to pay between $200.00 and $250.00 by RL just to obtain the ability to do something that has always been a core element of their software is just too much to take.    
Gerry
System: Win 10 Pro (21H2), Asus X99-E WS, CPU i7-5930K -3,5 GHz, 32 GB DDR4 2666-16 RAM, NVidia GTX 1080 Ti GPU - 11 GB VRAM(Driver Studio-536.99), Samsung 850 Pro 512 GB SSD, 6 TB HD storage.
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Kelleytoons
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Kelleytoons
Posted 9 Years Ago
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Group: Forum Members
Last Active: Yesterday
Posts: 9.1K,
Visits: 21.8K
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Eric (RL) (11/6/2015)
we wish for CT8 to become the de facto tool for 3D head creation and precise facial animation. Eric, Could you elaborate just a bit on this? For those of us not at all interested in 2D, are you saying that we will need CT8 both to create 3D heads as well as do "precise" facial animation? How, exactly, would that work? Would we use CT and set up all the talking, emoting, etc, of what is, essentially, a 2D version of the head, and then transfer this "2D/3D thingee" with all those movements using the pipeline into iClone so that our full 3D character would then have those facial animation movements? As much as I'm not crazy about spending more money (and do understand the concern of some for whom it will seem like you have charged for something that was already present in previous versions) I kind of like this particular pipeline if that's what you're trying to accomplish. While I don't do 2D animation with CT (using a much more professional tool) I can well see the advantages in doing facial animation from a 2D perspective, but then having the ability to convert it to 3D. In any case, a little more information would be nice -- even just a sort of step by step walkthrough of how someone using iClone for their animation work would both model and animate a character with this program flow.
Alienware Aurora R12, Win 10, i9-119000KF, 3.5GHz CPU, 128GB RAM, RTX 3090 (24GB), Samsung 960 Pro 4TB M-2 SSD, TB+ Disk space
Mike "ex-genius" Kelley
Edited
9 Years Ago by
Kelleytoons
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Tomasz F
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Tomasz F
Posted 9 Years Ago
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Group: Forum Members
Last Active: 7 Years Ago
Posts: 10,
Visits: 572
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Yes:
1) That looks really great!
2) That is really expensive!
Just wonder, as before Xmass I do not want to bother my wife with additional spendings, how much will cost upgrade from CrazyTalk 7 pro to CrazyTalk 8 Pipeline?
I think that your sales department knows the answer already, so please, share it with us ;-)
Tomasz
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CaseClosed
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CaseClosed
Posted 9 Years Ago
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Group: Forum Members
Last Active: 3 Years Ago
Posts: 344,
Visits: 781
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Eric (RL) (11/6/2015)
with the new CT8 pipeline connectivity that will enable users to transfer finished 3D heads from CrazyTalk 8 to iClone and the Character Creator....facial mocap... Can you tell us more about the facial mocap interface you have planned? Will it be universal for different facial mocap softwares?
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AverageJoe
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AverageJoe
Posted 9 Years Ago
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Group: Forum Members
Last Active: 2 Months Ago
Posts: 2.4K,
Visits: 10.1K
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I'm feeling the same way. As well as upset that CrazyTalk, a fantastic product in it's own right, is now nothing more than a plugin for iClone. Of course I don't know this for sure, but I'm a long time RL customer, and it wouldn't be the first time RL upset me with their direction. One of the great things about CrazyTalk was you could use literally any photograph. They didn;t have to be professional portraits with front and side shots. And the results were great. But now with the focus on creating 3d head, and having to have front and side images, the entertainment value of CT is going down. Which is a shame... We also lost the capability of making talking photographs. The 3D head is blad, and for hair we no doubt will have to use 3D content, purchaseable as content packs from RL no doubt. No, I'm not at all happy CrazyTalk was subverted for this usage into 3D...
Edited
9 Years Ago by
wizaerd
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SeanMac
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SeanMac
Posted 9 Years Ago
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Group: Forum Members
Last Active: Last Year
Posts: 416,
Visits: 3.4K
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Hi Eric (RL) Thanks for that. It is good to hear that a better 3head modeller will be available on the pipeline version of Crazy Talk 8 . But the details of the offer are heavily contradictory. I hope you will be able to clarify. I like many others got an email offer which sets the time window at three days for me to buy a bundle called iClone 6 Essential Power Collection for $199 to get CT8. But I have no means of knowing whether this offer is for CT8 Standard, CT8 Pro or CT8 Pipeline. As well, the Terms & Conditions stipulate that the offer does not include " Any software bundles withincluded content from the Reallusion’s Online Store". That seems to rule out the Essential Power Collection. On your website offer page (www.reallusion.com/ContentStore/promo/2015-CT8-PreSale/default/html) you make it clear that the basic offer is: spend $199 to get a free CT8 Pro "worth $149", but you also say there that the Essential Power Collection is priced at "$249". Finally there is the problem that you are telling me that I have to spend "over $199" to ge offer. Now being legalistic, $199 is NOT over $199. So I would have spent $199 without getting whatever CT8 version it is for the three day email offer which is on promo on that page above for a month. Surely Reallusion must have people who could have noticed this set of contradictions before you put out the emails and the promo page?
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